Means for adjusting the grain-wheel of harvesting-machines



' (ModeL) I W. K. MILLER.

, MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE GRAIN WHEEL OF HARVESTING MACHINES.

PatentedJan. 17,1882.

7 UN TED STATES PATENT oame WILLIAM" K. MILLER, or CANTON, OHIO.

MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE GRAIN-WHEEL OF- HARVESTING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 252,495, dated January1'7, 1882,

, Application fi1edAugust5,188l. (ModeL) To all whom 'it'may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM-K. MILLER, ofGanton, county of Stark, Stateof Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means forAdjusting the Grain-Wheel of Harvesting-Machines, of which the followingis a full and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is aperspective view, showing the outer grain-board with the grain-wheel andmy improved means for adj usting the same applied. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation, and Fig. 3 a plan View, of the same; and Fig. 4 is aperspective view of a portion of the lever for adjusting the wheel andits sliding latch.

In the ordinary construction of the outer side of the grain-platform ofa reaping-machine where due attention is given to the require ments forefl'ectin g the proper separation of the cut grain from that which isleft standing, and to the operation of'the rake for removing the cutgrain, but little space can be allowed for the adjustment of thecarrying casterwheel, and in order to give said wheel sufficientmovement to adjust the outer end of the platform, as required, it hasbeen found necessary to increase the length orheight of the supportingbracket or device-to such an extent as to interfere with the properseparation of the 7 grain or theaction of the rakes, &c.

The object of my improvement is to remedy this difficulty, and to thisend the invention consists in attaching the swiveling 'arm of thecarrying-wheel to a sliding block moving upon a curved way forincreasing the throw of the outer or wheel end of said arm, and inprovidin g said sliding block with a rack-segment operated by means of acorresponding segment on a pivoted lever, as hereinafter explained.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the outer grain or dividingboard of a reaperplatform, and B a metal bracket or plate secured to itsouter side,,as shown. This plate has a curved raised track, b, formedupon it, made preferably in T shape in horizontal section, extendingfromtop to bottom of the plate, or thereabout, and upon this track ismounted a grooved sliding block, 0, the groovein which corresponds inform to the form of the track or way I), adapting it to fit and slidethereon. The

block 0 has outwardly-projecting lugs c 0 formed upon it, in whichbearings are formed for the pivot d of aswiveling arm.lD, theouterswinging end of which is provided with a shaft for the grain or carryingwheel E, as shown. The track I) is coneavo-convex, concave on itsforward face, and, by preference, in the are of a circle, the radius ofwhich would be equal to the length of the arm D, or thereabout. as bysuch arrangement, when the arm is swung forward of its pivotal support,as shown in Fig. 2, the height of the platform and cutting apparatuswould remainuuchanged under any adjustment of the block 0, said blockmerely moving around or relatively to the carryingwheel as a center; butthe track may be formed in an arc of a circle of less or greaterdiameter, and the length of the swiveling arm may also be varied asrequiredflthe arrangement being such as to give a greatly increasedthrow to the outer end of said arm as compared with the movement of theblock when the wheel is in its normal carrying position in rear of saidblock. The rear vertical face of the blockU has a rack-segment, a,formed upon it in the are of a circle concentric with the track I), andwith this rack 21 toothed segment, f, on the forward end of a lever, F,engages for actuating the block 0 and moving it up and down on the wayb. The lever F is pivoted atf in a ingbe its rear, face with a toothedrack, g, with i which a sliding latch, h, (see Fig. 4,) engages forholding the lever, and with it thecarryingwheel, at any desiredadjustment. The latch or pawl h is operated by means of a sliding rodand a thumb-lever, H, adapted to be grasped with the end of lever F whenit is desired to adjust the outer end otthe platform. This ar; rangementof the adjusting-lever is such that when the lever is raised the wheelwill be thrown down relatively to the platfrom, or,

ICO

rather,the platform will be raised when thelever is raised and depressedwhen the lever is de-. pressed.

By the arrangement of parts describedit will be seen that the wheel,when in its normal or working relation to the platform, in beingadjusted, is made to move about double the distance traveled by thesliding block 0, to which its supporting-arm is pivoted, and that byvarying the curvature of the track on which said block moves and thelength of the carryingarm D any desired adjustment or throw of thecarrying-wheel relatively to the outer end of the platform may beobtained withoutincreasingihe height or width ofthe outer grain-board orof the parts connected therewith for'supporting the carrying-wheel.

Having now described my invention, I claim- 1. In a harvesting-machine,a grain-wheel connectedby a swiveling armawith a sliding blockadjustable in the are of a circle on a curved way or track adapted tohold said block against displacement both laterally and in line with thepath of the machine.

2. The grain-wheel'monnted in a swiveling arm pivoted to an adjustableblock moving on a curved way or track and provided with a rack-segment,in combination with the, lever and its rack-segment for adjusting thesame, 0

substantially as described.

WILLIAM K. MILLER.

Witnesses:

CHAS. R. MILLER, PAU D. RIDER.

